'Nashville' TV show looks to build audience

Show secures Season 2, hopes for more

May 24, 2013

The first episode of 'Nashville' premiered to nearly 9 million live viewers in October — bolstered by the star power of leads Hayden Panettiere, top, and Connie Britton, below — while about 6 million tuned in for the season finale. / Katherine Bomboy-Thornton / ABC

Written by

The Tennessean

A decision still has yet to made whether the show 'Nashville,' starring Clare Bowen, will resume production in Music City. / John Partipilo / File / The Tennessean

“Nashville” live TV viewers (excluding DVR users)

Series premiere (Oct. 10): 8.9 million (season high) Episode 2 (Oct. 17): 6.7 million First new episode after winter break (Jan. 9): 5.9 million First new episode after second monthlong break (March 27): 5.2 million (season low) Season finale (May 22): 6 million

ABC’s “Nashville” ended its first season on Wednesday with a serious cliffhanger, leaving the lives of two major characters dangling in the balance. But the cliffhangers aren’t all on the screen.

Though ABC announced earlier this month that the country music industry drama — set and shot on location in the real Nashville — will return for a second season, few other details regarding Season 2 have been announced, including whether production will resume in Nashville.

But according to “Nashville” executive producer and Grand Ole Opry Group President Steve Buchanan, one thing is certainly in the plans: an effort to expand the show’s audience.

“There’s room to grow, and it’s important that we build from here,” he said.

The first episode of “Nashville” premiered to nearly 9 million live viewers in October, bolstered by high praise from critics and the star power of leads Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere. Viewership shrunk to 7 million for episode two, and since then the show mostly has held steadily between 5 million and 6 million per week, including just more than 6 million viewers for Wednesday’s finale.

By industry standards, it was passable but not exceptional viewership (a timeslot competitor, CBS’ smash “CSI,” regularly earns between 9 million and 11 million viewers). Ratings analysis site TV by the Numbers was among the industry observers that considered the show “on the bubble” between renewal and cancellation.

The potential for “Nashville” to expand its audience may have helped carry it to Season 2 when it returns to its established timeslot of 9 p.m. Wednesdays this fall, and if so, it will need to fulfill that potential to survive.

“It’s really important to keep it fresh and dynamic and keep our core base of viewers engaged, but also build upon that base,” Buchanan said. “Because that’s how we will get to seasons three, four and five.”

$40 million impact

The “Nashville” cast, crew and fans aren’t the only ones rooting for Nashville to thrive long term: The filming this year was estimated to have a $40 million impact on the local economy, and there’s also those invested in seeing the show continue to shine a flattering light on its namesake city.

Before “Nashville” premiered, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. was holding screenings of its pilot episode for locals, and urged them to spread the word. More recently, it launched a social media campaign, asking fans around the world to rally for a second season. NCVC president and CEO Butch Spyridon feels he’s persuaded several conventions to come to the city for the first time, partially thanks to the international visibility of “Nashville.”

“Getting that second season, I think, enhances the credibility all the way around,” he said. “It’s almost like two is exponential to one, and after that, obviously, it’s still important. We’d like to see a five- or seven-year run out of this.”

Nashville native and cast member Todd Truley — who plays record exec Marshall Evans — compared the show to a postcard being sent out every week.

“You couldn’t ask for better PR for the city,” he said.

The show, on the other hand, has been dealing with a rare bit of unflattering publicity in recent weeks, as one behind-the-scenes shakeup went public.

On May 11 — one day after the renewal of “Nashville” was announced — the show’s former line producer Loucas George announced on Twitter that his contract was not being picked up for Season 2.

Production supervisor Don Bensko also was among the crew members who were dismissed after Season 1, which prompted his wife, Micaela, to post an “open letter to the entertainment industry” on her blog, writing of a crew that worked “14-20 hour days with an unrelenting schedule due to issues beyond their control” and a show plagued with “a string of delayed scripts and tripping storylines.”

The news has added to the uncertainty regarding the future of “Nashville” in the real Music City.

John Valentine, vice president of TV strategy and business operations for “Nashville” producer Lionsgate, declined to comment on staffing changes, but told The Tennesseean in a report last week that they hope “to continue producing this show in Nashville for many years to come.”

That continuation may depend on the financial incentives the state is able to provide to “Nashville.” Before the show premiered, Lionsgate was lobbying the state for a more generous incentive package than it received for Season 1.

The first season’s production was able to recoup 32 percent of its production costs in the form of a 17 percent grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and a 15 percent refundable tax credit from the Tennessee Department of Revenue, but under current law, reimbursement would be limited to a grant that covers 25 percent of costs. Representatives for the production have asked the state to have it exempted from that cap.

A spokesperson for “Nashville” told The Tennessean on Thursday that there was no new information regarding the production’s future.

Bluebird's benefits

If any local institution can attest to the power of “Nashville” exposure, it’s The Bluebird Cafe.

The real-life songwriters venue is the haunt of choice for many “Nashville” characters and is featured enough for the show to build a replica set on its local soundstage.

The Bluebird’s chief operating officer and general manager, Erika Wollam Nichols, said attendance at the already-popular venue ballooned immediately after the first episode of “Nashville” featured a scene set there during its weekly open mike night.

Before “Nashville,” a capacity crowd of roughly 100 would trickle in over the course of that evening. Now there’s regularly an early turnout of 300, and security has been hired to keep the outside line away from neighboring businesses.

Wollam Nichols said “Nashville” fans come all day long — even when the club is closed — to peer in the windows. Reservations for shows can sell out as quickly as 15 seconds, which sometimes shuts out the Bluebird’s dedicated local customers.

“It’s a good challenge to have,” she said. “I wouldn’t change it, I wouldn’t opt out, and yet none of us on the staff like to disappoint people. That’s what we’re facing.”

Lots of reruns

Along with the upsides, several figures involved with “Nashville” acknowledge getting one bit of negative feedback regarding the show: What’s with all the reruns?

The show took two one-month breaks from new episodes this season, and an additional two weeks of reruns preceded this last month of new shows.

Having 21 episodes, Buchanan points out, is in a similar range as the standard full season for a network series, which is typically between 22 and 24 episodes.

“And then people usually say, ‘Well, actually I don’t watch that much television.’ But they’re hooked on this show.”

TV viewing habits have changed dramatically over the past 10 years with the rise of DVRs and on-demand video streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. With it, there’s hope that “Nashville” will continue to hook new fans even during summer reruns.

Full season collections on DVD and Blu-ray are often released at strategic times to boost awareness before a new season premieres. The first season collection of “Nashville” hits stores on Sept. 17. Buchanan sees today’s TV viewers, like music fans, coming across new shows at their own speed.

“They’ll discover an artist on their third and fourth albums, and they’ll assume its a brand-new artist. And I think you’re seeing that also with television, where shows are an overnight sensation in their third season … because of the way that people watch shows (now), they’ll get turned on to a show in the third season, and they’ll spend the next month watching season one and season two.”

Production for Season 1 of “Nashville” began in July. If Season 2 follows in its footsteps, local fans might be able to skip reruns this summer and see new episodes unfold in person, either as extras or onlookers. But that will depend on where “Nashville” is being made.

Buchanan said that from the beginning, it was important to him that “Nashville” was shot in Nashville.

“It makes sense for the show to be shot here, just in terms of what we do from a locations perspective, in trying to really convey the personality of the city and to give this show what no other show can easily have. But it is a very important economic decision. It will always be important for the city and state to help support the show’s presence here.”